Property Report / Areas / Bellingen / Fernmount

Fernmount zoning & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Fernmount (Bellingen, NSW) - 16.18 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Fernmount's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Fernmount

Two different things, kept apart on purpose. The ANEF contour is the planning instrument - a forecast published per airport that planning schemes use to control noise-sensitive development. Observed overflight is what a sampled aircraft-tracking feed actually recorded over the suburb - where aircraft flew, how low and how often.

Fernmount at a glance

Parcels 216 Median lot 12,401 m² Mapped easements 1 Bus stops 12

How Fernmount is zoned

Primary Production 32%
Environmental Management 25%
Forestry 15%
Large Lot Residential 12%
Primary Production Small Lots 4%
Environmental Conservation 4%

Buying in Fernmount? The zoning, flood and bushfire lines on the section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract are mapped controls - see our s10.7 certificate guide.

Across its 16.18 km², Fernmount is highly constrained by the planning overlays we hold. We hold no flood mapping covering this suburb, so no flood figure is shown - that is a gap in our data, not an all-clear. Of what is mapped, 99% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 23 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 12,401 m² across 216 parcels.

Who lives in Fernmount

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Fernmount suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population
444
usual residents, 2021
Median age
46
years
Median household income
$1,784
per week, Bellingen suburb typical $1,268
Median rent
$350
per week, Bellingen suburb typical $300
Median mortgage
$1,833
per month
Household size
2.7
people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 7
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1019, and decile 7 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 8
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Fernmount's 444 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 4.8%
5-14 13.2%
15-19 5.2%
20-24 3.9%
25-34 8.0%
35-44 12.1%
45-54 16.9%
55-64 17.1%
65-74 13.9%
75-84 4.3%
85+ 0.7%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Bellingen, the wider ABS statistical area containing Fernmount. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Fernmount itself.

5,539 in 2001 to 6,200 in 2025, up 12%.

Source: ABS Census 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (Suburbs and Localities), Regional Population (SA2), CC BY 4.0. Small counts are randomly adjusted by the ABS.

Fernmount data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingNot mappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
ZoningMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)

Profile last materially updated 3 October 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.

Check a specific Fernmount address

See exactly which overlays touch a single property - the interactive map is free. Need it on paper? A full planning PDF is just $9.

Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 8% of Fernmount. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.

Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Fernmount lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Fernmount planning - frequently asked

Is Fernmount flood-prone?

We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Fernmount, so this page can't say how much of the suburb is flood-affected - that is a gap in our data, not an indication that the suburb is free of flood risk. Bellingen is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.

Is Fernmount bushfire-prone?

Around 99% of Fernmount is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Bellingen average of 98%.

Is Fernmount under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 8% of Fernmount, and over about 44% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 6 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously and flight paths change with runway use, weather and season; the ANEF contour is the planning instrument.

What is the zoning in Fernmount?

The dominant planning zone in Fernmount is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Environmental Management and Forestry.

Does Fernmount have heritage-listed places?

Fernmount has 23 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Fernmount?

Across 216 surveyed parcels in Fernmount, the median lot size is about 12,401 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Fernmount have a train station?

There is no train station inside Fernmount itself. The suburb is served by 12 bus stops.

What is the population of Fernmount?

At the 2021 Census Fernmount had 444 usual residents, with a median age of 46 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Bellingen statistical area, which contains Fernmount, went from 5,539 people in 2001 to 6,200 in 2025, up 12%.

Is Fernmount an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Fernmount scores 1019 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Fernmount?

Median household income in Fernmount was $1,784 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,268 for the typical suburb in Bellingen. Median rent was $350 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,833 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Bellingen 4.8 km Not mapped 94%
Raleigh 4.9 km Not mapped 96%
Brierfield 5.0 km Not mapped 100%
Urunga 6.9 km Not mapped 92%
Hydes Creek 7.1 km Not mapped 100%
Mylestom 8.9 km Not mapped 76%
Repton 9.3 km Not mapped 98%
Valery 9.7 km Not mapped 98%
Spicketts Creek 9.9 km Not mapped 100%
Valla
Nambucca Valley
11.9 km Not mapped 96%

See all Bellingen suburb profiles →